I know I said I might take a couple of weeks off, but I have too many damn songs I want to get to during this second set (I will take an extended break circa Christmas through January). That's why I keep betraying my own format and doing 2 or 3 songs per week (and why I've fallen behind!). I get an idea in my head and think "sure, I can do that" and suddenly I'm trying to colorfully transcribe 80% of Sister in a week (an idea I abandoned, for the sake of my real job). So, what's the angle this week? What do these three songs all have in common? Well, uh, they're all from Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star...That's the only album where half the songs were never played live, do they have that in common? No, "Waist" popped up from time to time... So, what is it? Well...when I first launched this site 25 long years ago in May of 1997, I had a similar "go big or go home" mentality (I hadn't yet added "or give up completely"), and I wanted to have a "tab book" for Jet Set in addition to the wealth of bass tabs and other stray tracks I'd done. I scrambled to put that together, with reasonable success, but there have always been songs that bothered me, where I clearly just said "good enough" (ironic considering that phrase and its relation to Jet Set...) or didn't have enough information to go with. Or, in some cases, I had the wrong information, and that's what these 3 have in common: I originally tabbed them in the wrong tunings.
Now, I realize nobody is clamoring for an in-depth lesson on how to play "Screaming Skull", nor do I have much of interest to say about these tunes. This week there will be no accompanying pictures, complementary videos, etc - just a quick run-down write-up and three tabs, one of which I'd actually been considering as a legitimate SONG OF THE WEEK entry (although I still don't have too much to say about it, hence the grouping). There are others from Jet Set I'd like to revisit, and there may even be one next week that I do have a lot to say about, but we'll see. I wanted to try to sneak these in before we get deep into Goovember, and dumping some No Star shit on the heels of a Sister trio seems poetic, considering the link between those albums.
Like Sister, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star was recorded at Sear Sound, though it had relocated (Psychic Hearts was also laid to tape there the following year, as well as Rather Ripped a decade later). For years, one of the most fascinating rumors in the Sonic Youth fan community was that the Sister album could be heard in its entirety underneath Jet Set. Some claimed they could hear it, some laughed it off as a crazy notion. The story was that they'd recorded the new album over the master tape of Sister, which seemed like a dubious claim (after all of the individual songs are mixed down to tape, they're assembled in order on a "master", typically represented as two sides in the vinyl days, then that master reel is further EQ'ed when the other mastering process is done for the various vinyl & CD formats - it's kind of an important document). Indeed, the Sister master had been recently unearthed for DGC's suite of Sonic Youth reissues in the early 90s, but the thought of recording over it is preposterous. Perhaps the legend could be extended to even a copy of the master reel, but again - why? Their brand new major label album didn't deserve to be mixed to fresh tape? The debates raged on...
I was skeptical, but one day I turned my stereo waaaay up to hear for myself if there was any truth to this claim. Sure enough, following the final behind-the-bridge chimes of "Bull in the Heather", I heard something..."Do you like to fuck?" And then I had my head (and speakers!) blown apart by the beginning of "Starfield Road" (years later when I got my first smartphone I made that intro my ringtone, I still get anxiety when I hear it). Ears ringing with intrigue, I decided to rip the tracks to WAV files, isolate the seemingly dead air at the end of each track, and increase the volume as much as my computer would allow. To my surprise, I could hear bits of Sister buried between every track, seemingly in the order they appear on the album. Could the rumors be true?
Well...this was one of the many annoying questions I posed to the band over the years, and one that I never quite got a straight answer for. From what I can surmise, they did deliberately inject the spirit of Sister into the mix, possibly literally while the final master for Jet Set was being assembled (a post from Steve on the SY "gossip" forum confirms it was "something like" this, and that the masters for Sister still exist). I suppose it was an Easter egg of sorts, underlining the connection between the two albums being products of Sear Sound. But I'm still not really sure!
One fun quirk of Jet Set is the bootlegged existence of rough mixes, featuring every track but "Quest For The Cup" (by the way, check out the entry for that song for more Experimental... studio chatter, and a reminder that I used to know how to edit). It's an interesting (though brutally low bit rate) listen, as many of the songs feature alternate vocal takes, different guitar parts mixed in, and of course the presence of the legendary "Rap Damage" version of "Screaming Skull", where Thurston freestyles over the entire song. "Screaming Skull" is one of very few Sonic Youth tracks to feature a co-writing credit, given to frequent videographer David Markey, who surprised Kim and Thurston with a trip to the SST Superstore on Sunset Strip (where Pat Smear was working shortly before becoming a touring member of Nirvana). Afterwards, they wrote the song together at Markey's house, loading it with references to the experience (including the presence of Sister). I suspect Markey's contributions were purely lyrical, but I could be wrong - he's an accomplished drummer as well as director!
Supposedly, the song was premiered on a January 1993 tour of Japan featuring Kim's Free Kitten project, Steve's Mosquito trio, with a Thurston opening set of future Jet Set tunes: "Tokyo Eye" "Skink" and "Screaming Skull". No tapes are circulating, so I can't say for sure if these were actually the songs he played, if they were instrumental, and what resemblance they beared to the final versions. "Skink" and "Tokyo Eye" were both debuted by Sonic Youth later in June, but they never performed "Screaming Skull" live. However, Thurston continued his solo escapades tagging along with Kitten on the Lollapalooza tour in July and August, allegedly performing Sister material. The only tape I'm aware of comes from a post-Lollapalooza Free Kitten headlining set in San Francisco on August 10th, where Thurston opened with "Self-Obsessed and Sexxee" "Screaming Skull" and "Starfield Road".
Guitar Player magazine did an excellent interview with the band in their July 1994 issue, continuing the tradition of informative, in-depth articles established with Daydream Nation and a cover story for Goo. This piece is where I drew most of my Jet Set info for the site back in the day, but I've come to discover that it has its share of errors. Notoriously, Kim's tuning is cited as BEDDBB rather than the actually useful BEGDBB, and she says she used it on "Skink" and "Bone". I don't know if the tuning was a transcription error or if she mispoke, but she certainly does not play guitar on "Skink" - "Quest For The Cup" would be her other 6-string contribution to the album. Thurston claims to have used EGDGED on a number of songs, including "Screaming Skull", as well as acknowledging that he "used a lot of the Brother James tuning" on the album (GGDDD#D#). Based on the 3-song set from San Francisco, I suspect "Screaming Skull" is also in GDD#, as it is bookended by two songs that are definitely in that tuning. Now, if the Japan stories are true, he'd be playing it with two other songs in EGDGED ("Skink" and "Tokyo Eye"), so I may be mistaken - but the general "dumb heaviness" of his part on "Screaming Skull" suggests the low-range unison strings of GDD# over the fairly melodic reach of EGDGED. More on this topic later...
Regardless, you can play his part in either tuning, but I've gone ahead and re-transcribed it in GGDDD#D#. Lee is almost certainly in GGCGCD (which he says he used on "about 60% of Experimental Jet Set..." in the same article), and they typically paired those tunings together. In the noisy warm-up opening to "Screaming Skull", Lee is playing rickety 5th fret harmonics, and you can hear open high C and G strings peeking in here and there, so I'm fairly confident that's his tuning. The song is so minimal in its composition that it hardly matters, but I do strive for accuracy. I'll be honest, it's never been a favorite, and I would easily single it out as the worst song on the album, but having given it a more intense review, I do find it kind of endearing. Steve's drum pattern is nice and restrained, until the final chorus when he actually switches to a hi-hat beat, which is a nice touch, and I like how Thurston's vocal is double-tracked but panned left and right (I actually thought Kim was singing this song when I first got the album). Plus all the gritty muted harmonics and string noise between the meathead chord stomps are pretty fun. So, I suppose it's not the worst song ever, and the "Rap Damage" version is certainly an entertaining listen. I will say, the bass is virtually inaudible on the final mix - the rough mixes reveal a little more of Kim's pre-song free time noise, but even then it's hard to follow. I've tabbed what I think she's playing, which simply follows the guitars. I don't know if she contributes to the chunky mutes, so play them if you want!
"Waist" wasn't part of the Not Yet Jet Set tour of '93, where the band previewed six songs before they went into the studio, instead being debuted live on December 2nd, 1994, their sole full-length show of the year. Jet Set had been out since May, but the only live promotion was two TV spots and an AIDS Benefit in NYC. The set list was reminiscent of the '93 tour, but with "Bone", "Androgynous Mind" and "Waist" it offered a record of eight songs from Jet Set, with only "Tokyo Eye" shelved. "Waist" was the encore, preceded by a brief "Death Valley '69" tease, which seemed to be mandatory when they found themselves using the F#F#F#F#EB pairing (I think Lee just liked testing the tuning out with the classic riff). Unfortunately, the only known tape cuts directly from the final verse into Kim's verse of "Schizophrenia", presumably the next and final song of the set. "Waist" didn't become ingrained in the set list like "Bull in the Heather" or "Starfield Road", but it did pop up very rarely during the '95 and '96 tours (it closed the set on April 30th, 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut, and Thurston stopped halfway through to ask the band to start over when he realized he'd been playing the 2-chord song at the wrong fret!). Back in '97 I tabbed this with Thurston in F#F#F#F#EB (yay!) but guessed wrong on Lee, using GGCGCD instead of F#F#F#F#EB as well. I must say, my teenage self did a not-bad job at working out Thurston's flaming hot solo on my tiny stereo, but I've still cleaned it up to silence the masses who've cried for 25 years: "Fix Waist!".
"Sweet Shine" might just be the most beautiful tune in the Sonic Youth catalog. It's like a memory captured perfectly in song form - Kim's vocal sounds haunting and timeless, and even with the gorgeous chiming note progressions that the guitars cycle though, there's that classic sonic spook underlying it all. In Guitar Player, Thurston claimed to use EGDGED, while Lee identified EEBBEF# (which he called the "Wooden Ships" tuning). That made sense - this pair worked to similar effect on "Skink" and later "The Diamond Sea". However, my teenage efforts to pin down Thurston's opening chord in that tuning left me frustrated, though I was able to work out the rest with some satisfaction. Lee's part was easier to transcribe, but I always had doubts about Thurston's. As it turns out, I was right to be wary - over the years people have written to suggest that Thurston may really be in F#F#F#F#EB, which becomes immediately obvious when you strike that first chord. I've wanted to fix it for years but never took the initiative, so here we are. Of course, I took another pass at Lee's part just to improve on what I'd done way back when, and it was only when I got to the very end of the song, while stretching to reach an imaginary 24th fret, that I realized Lee's tuning was wrong too - after some calculations, I confirmed that he is almost certainly in F#F#F#F#EB as well. I'll be honest, this kinda shocked me - I've always imagined his part played on that classic Tele Deluxe in EEBBEF#, and you can basically play the entire song in that tuning - but when I reframed it to accomodate F#F#F#F#EB, it became even easier, and suddenly my whole image of the song changed.
Having spent much of this year reviewing the chord structure of Sonic Youth songs, I am constantly surprised by how versatile the F#F#F#F#EB tuning was for their songwriting. I love writing in alternate tunings, but I always found this one to be a bit puzzling from a creative perspective. However, after transcribing a dozen or so tunes composed in F#F#F#F#EB, I have a clearer understanding of all its possibilities, and to know that something as magical as "Sweet Shine" was designed around both guitarists using it, I'm even more impressed. I wonder if that means Lee used his Travis Bean for this track, which means I'll need to repaint the picture I've had in my mind for all these years...
The rough mix of "Sweet Shine" is preceded by two answering machine messages which were excised from the final version, one from a woman named Kira ("Hello Kim, if you're in town this is Kira, it's October 3rd") and one from an unidentified man ("Wake up and smell the roses, the world can be a beautiful day if you just give it an audition. Okay, I hope all is well with you. Love you..."). I don't know their relevance, but I should mention that in addition to the woman's voice on "Quest For The Cup", both "Queen Bee and Her Pals" and "Feathers" from Thurston's Psychic Hearts LP (another Sear Sound creation) contain answering machine style samples. Also, the CD version of Jet Set includes further found speech, mixed into the nearly minute-and-a-half of mandatory mid-90s "bonus noise" following the equally mandatory minute of silence after the last track. The rough mix also features a few lines of vocal that were re-recorded for the final product.
The song's working title was "Lindsey", a reference to Lindsey Buckingham and his band Fleetwood Mac. Lyrically, it's as enigmatic as anything Kim ever wrote, but it's worth noting that Thurston's Alabama Wildman book (a collection of lyrics, poetry, and other text) is prefaced by several lines from the song, with credit to "kim g." - "cowboys are languishin' / little girls are bees / is it really a green stage coach / crawling up to me..."
I'm pretty pleased with my new tab, but I'm open to any changes - there's a deceptive amount of discord between all the instruments, that nevertheless manifests as beauty. With no live performances to refer to, I have to trust my often unreliable ear, particularly when it comes to Kim's unique blending of bass notes, so please let me know if you hear something different. As always, I'd love to hear any comments!
"SCREAMING SKULL"
LAYOUT
INTRO - A - B - A - B - A - B - C - D - E
KIM
EADG
CENTER
THURSTON
GGDDD#D#
LEFT
LEE
GGCGCD
RIGHT
For both guitars, the emphasis is always on the G strings, the 5th is not as important.
All XXX mutes in the tab are a combination of muted strings, harmonics, pick scrapes,
swiping hand noise, and strumming behind the bridge. Thurston is all over the place,
where-as Lee tends to stick to 5th fret harmonics when playing the verse, and
chunky muted harmonics during the chorus.
INTRO 00:00-00:18
This is just pre-song noise, Thurston does dramatic wah speak, Lee attacks 5th fret harmonics.
A SECTION 00:18-00:32
Thurston plays:
D#------
D#------
D-------
D---5--- x 8
G---5---
G---5---
Lee plays:
D------X-X-X-X-X-X---
C------X-X-X-X-X-X---
G------X-X-X-X-X-X---
C---7--X-X-X-X-X-X--- x 8
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X---
Kim plays:
G--------
D-------- x 8
A--------
E---8\---
B SECTION 00:32-00:51
Thurston plays:
D#-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X--
D#-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X--
D------X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X-----X-X-X-X-X--
D---3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--
G---3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--
G---3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--3--X-X-X-X-X--1--X-X-X-X-X--
D#-----X-X-X-X-X-X------------
D#-----X-X-X-X-X-X------------
D------X-X-X-X-X-X------------
D------X-X-X-X-X-X------------
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3--3---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3--3---
Lee plays:
D------X-X-X-X-X--------------------X-X-X-X-X--------------------X-X-X-X-X-----------------
C------X-X-X-X-X-------X-X-X-X------X-X-X-X-X-------X-X-X-X------X-X-X-X-X-------X-X-X-X---
G------X-X-X-X-X-------X-X-X-X------X-X-X-X-X-------X-X-X-X------X-X-X-X-X-------X-X-X-X---
C---5--X-X-X-X-X---3---X-X-X-X---5--X-X-X-X-X---3---X-X-X-X---5--X-X-X-X-X---3---X-X-X-X---
G---3--X-X-X-X-X---1---0-0-0-0---3--X-X-X-X-X---1---0-0-0-0---3--X-X-X-X-X---1---0-0-0-0---
G---3--X-X-X-X-X---1---0-0-0-0---3--X-X-X-X-X---1---0-0-0-0---3--X-X-X-X-X---1---0-0-0-0---
D------X-X-X-X-X-X---------------
C------X-X-X-X-X-X---------------
G------X-X-X-X-X-X---------------
C---7--X-X-X-X-X-X--5--5--5--5---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3--3--3---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3--3--3---
Kim plays:
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E---6------4------6------4------6------4-----8/----(6--6--6)--- I'm not sure if she plays that last note
A SECTION 00:51-01:05
Thurston plays the 5th fret chord but adds muted harmonics/pick scrapes/behind the bridge noise/etc
to fill out the bar.
B SECTION 01:05-01:23
A SECTION 01:24-01:38
B SECTION 01:38-01:56
This time Thurston doesn't play the 3rd fret chord at the end of the chorus.
This time Lee doesn't play the mutes between the two main chords.
C SECTION 01:56-02:10
Thurston plays:
D#---------------------------------------
D#---------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------
D---5------------------5----------------- x 4
G---5--5-8-10-8-10\12--5--5-8-10-8-5-3---
G---5--5-8-10-8-10\12--5--5-8-10-8-5-3---
Lee plays:
D----------------------------------------
C----------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------
C---------------------------------------- x 2
G----------------------------------------
G---5~---8-10-8-10\12--5~---8-10-8-5/3---
D----------------------------------------------
C----------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------
C-------10-12-10-12\14~~-----10-12-10---------- x 2
G--\12~------------------12~----------12-10~---
G----------------------------------------------
Kim plays:
G--------
D-------- x 8
A--------
E---8\---
D SECTION 02:11-02:24
Thurston plays:
D#------------------------------
D#------------------------------
D------------------------------- x 4
D---3---\8--3--1----------------
G---3---\8--3--1--1-0-5-6-5-6---
G---3---\8--3--1--1-0-5-6-5-6---
^palm mute^
Lee plays:
D-------------------------
C------------------------- x 4
G-------------------------
C---5---5^7--5^7---3---\-- quick hammer ons to the 7th fret
G---3--------------1------ slide the 3rd fret note down after ringing
G---3--------------1------
Kim plays:
G-----------------------
D-----------------------
A-------------3-4-3-4--- x 4
E---6------4------------
E SECTION 02:25-02:38
Thurston plays:
D#-----X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-------------
D#-----X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-------------
D------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-------------
D---5--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X---3--3--3---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X---3--3--3---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X---3--3--3---
Lee plays:
D------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-------------
C------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-------------
G------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-------------
C---7--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X---5--5--5---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X---3--3--3---
G---5--X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X---3--3--3---
Kim plays:
G----------------------------------
D----------------------------------
A----------------------------------
E---8\-------------------6--6--6---
text + tab by Chris Lawrence
"WAIST"
LAYOUT
A - B - C - D - A
KIM
EADG
CENTER
THURSTON
F#F#F#F#EB
LEFT
LEE
F#F#F#F#EB
RIGHT
A SECTION 00:03-01:08 All mutes are random chunky muted strings/harmonics. Thurston: B------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-5------------- E------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-5------------- he plays it slightly different each time F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3--3-3-0--- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3--3-3-0--- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3--3-3-0--- x 22 F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3---------- Lee: B------X-X-X-X-X-X-X----------- E------X-X-X-X-X-X-X----------- F#-----X-X-X-X-X-X-X----------- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3-3--- x 22 F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3-3--- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--3--3-3--- Kim: G--------------------- D---6----------------- x 22 A-------6---6\7------- E---------------5-5--- B SECTION 01:09-01:23 I didn't specifically count out exactly how many times each chord is played for this part. Thurston: B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- Lee plays: B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- F#--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-12-5-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- Kim: G------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------6------------------------------------------------ E---9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9----7-5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4--- C SECTION 01:24-01:47 Thurston: B---21--21-21-21-19-19-19-19^21--21-21-21\22-22-22--21-21-21-21-21-19-19-19-19\17-17-17-17/14--- E----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---14-14-14--14-14-14-12-12-12-12-14-14-14-14-15-15-15-15-15\17-17-17-17\19-19-19-19\21--- E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---21-21-21b-21-21-21-21-21-21-21r-- bend and hold the 21st fret, then return E-------------------21-21-21-21-21--- instead of the 21st fret on the E string, you can add F#----------------------------------- the 19th fret of the F# string F#----------------------------------- F#----------------------------------- x 8 (slide into next section) F#----------------------------------- Lee plays: B---21~~-- E--------- play this chord 16 times with extreme finger vibrato F#--19~~-- F#-------- F#--19~~-- F#-------- B-------- E---16--- bend the 16th fret up and down while attacking this chord F#--14--- F#--14--- F#--14--- F#------- Kim: G--------------------- D---6----------------- A-------6---6\7------- x 8 E---------------5-5--- D SECTION 01:47-01:59 Thurston: B------------------------- E------------------------- F#------------------------ F#--2---7-9---9-10--5-3--- x 4 F#--2---7-9---9-10--5-3--- F#--2---7-9---9-10--5-3--- Lee plays: B------------------------- E------------------------- F#------------------------ F#------------------------ x 4 F#--2---7-9---9-10--5-3--- F#--2---7-9---9-10--5-3--- Kim: G--------------------- D---6----------------- A-------6---6\7------- x 4 E---------------5-5--- A SECTION 01:59-02:49 Thurston doesn't play during the last verse, then plays basically the same riff for the outro, but cleaner with more of a pronounced lift off between the 3rd and 2nd frets: B------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-5------------- E------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-5------------- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3--3-3-0--- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3--3-3-0--- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3--3-3-0--- F#--2--X-X-X-X-X-X-X----3---------- Lee plays a more subdued, sparse version of his verse riff for the last verse, mostly without the muted harmonics, but accents it by sliding up to squealing skronk chords like this: B----22--- E----21--- F#---20--- it's not the same chord every time, but random enough not to tab out F#---19--- F#-------- F#-------- Kim: G--------------------- D---6----------------- x 16 A-------6---6\7------- E---------------5-5--- text + tab by Chris Lawrence
"SWEET SHINE"
LAYOUT
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F - G
KIM
EADG
CENTER
THURSTON
F#F#F#F#EB
LEFT
LEE
F#F#F#F#EB
RIGHT
A SECTION 00:00-00:18
Thurston:
B----6---
E----6--- strum this chord
F#---0---
F#---0---
F#-------
F#-------
Lee plays:
B----6--6-7-9-7-6---6^7-6---6-7-9\11--11-11-----------6-7-9-7-6---6^7-6--------6---
E----6------------------6----------------------4-4\6------------------6------------
F#--(0)---------------------------------------------------------------------0------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim plays:
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--- etc.
B SECTION 00:19-00:36
Thurston:
F#--0---
E---0--- use your thumb, listen to the LP for the arpeggiation pattern
B---0---
B---3---
E---3---
E---3---
Lee plays the same chord as Thurston in the same style:
F#--0---
E---0---
B---0---
B---3---
E---3---
E---3---
Kim plays:
G-----------------------------
D-----------------------------
A-----------------------------
E---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--- etc.
C SECTION 00:37-00:55
Thurston:
B------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------10br---------------------------------- x 2
F#--7--7-7-7-9--10--10-10-10-10br---7--7-7-7-9--10--10/--3-3-3-3\--
F#--7--7-7-7-9--10--10-10-10-10br---7--7-7-7-9--10--10/--3-3-3-3\--
F#--0--0-0-0-0---0------------------0--0-0-0-0---0-----------------
Lee plays:
B--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#--7---7-8-10--12-12\---7---7-8-10-8-7\8-8-7---7--7--7-8-10-8-12-10---14\15-15-14-12/10--10-8-7\8-8-7---
F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#--7---7-8-10--12-12\---7---7-8-10-8-7\8-8-7---7--7--7-8-10-8-12-10---14\15-15-14-12/10--10-8-7\8-8-7---
F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim plays:
G-------------------------
D-------------------------
A---4--4--4-4\7--7-7--4--- x 4
E-------------------------
D SECTION 00:55-01:13
Thurston:
B----12----------------------------------------12--------------------------------------
E-------12----------------------------------------12-----------------------------------
F#----------14br--12--12-12-12--12\14-14-14----------14br--12--12-12-12--12/10-10-10---
F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---12-12-12\14--15--15-17-15-15\17-17-17---17-17-15-15-14-12--14--12-12-12-10-12-10---
F#----0---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lee plays notes w/ analog delay:
B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---7--7--7-7-8--8-8-8-8\10-10\12---7--7--7-7-8--8-8-7----7----8--10---8---10/--7---7-7-8--7---
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim plays:
G------------------------6-6-6---
D---------------0--0-0-0--------- the open D is played while the 4th fret is still ringing
A---4--4--4-4-4------------------ likewise w/ the 6th fret, the D rings thru
E--------------------------------
E SECTION 01:14-01:31
Thurston:
B---5--5--------------
E------7br--(5)-------
F#----------------7--- x 4
F#----------------7---
F#--------------------
F#--------------------
Lee plays harmonics w/ analog delay:
B--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------
F#---*12*-*12*----*12*-------*12*-*12*---*12*----*7*-*7*-------
F#---*12*-*12*---------------*12*-*12*-----------*7*-*7*-------
F#---*12*--------------------*12*------------------------------
F#---*12*--------------------*12*------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------
E----------------*12*-----------------------------------
F#---*12*-*12*--------*12*-----*12*-*12*-----*7*--------
F#---*12*-*12*-----------------*12*-*12*-----*7*--------
F#---*12*----------------------*12*---------------------
F#-----------------------------*12*---------------------
Kim:
G--------------6--6-6-6-6-6-6---
D---0--0--0-0--0--0-0-0-0-0-0--- x 4
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------
F SECTION 01:32-01:49
Thurston:
B--------
E--------
F#---3---
F#---3--- strum this chord
F#---3---
F#---3---
Lee:
B----------10---------------------10------------------7------------
E-------10----10---------10----10-----------7-----7------7-----7--- x 2
F#---10-----------10--------10------------7-----7---7------7-------
F#-------------------10-----------------7-----7--------------7-----
F#-----------------------------------------------------------------
F#-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kim:
G---------------------------------
D---------------------------------
A---------------------------------
E---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--- etc.
G SECTION 01:50-02:08
Thurston:
B-------5---2-----0--------0-------
E---------0---0------0---0---0-----
F#--------------0------0-------0--- hold the 3rd fret w/ thumb and pick the melody
F#---3----------------------------- on the top strings - play 3rd fret notes as well
F#---3-----------------------------
F#---3-----------------------------
Lee:
B----7------------------------
E----9--9-9-7--9--9-9-9-9br--- play 4 times w/ variation
F#---0------------------------ F# string can ring out whenever
F#----------------------------
F#----------------------------
F#----------------------------
Kim:
G--------------------------------
D---7--7--7--7-7-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--- x 4
A--------------------------------
E--------------------------------
A SECTION 02:08-02:26
Lee plays:
B----6--6-7-9\11-11----6--6-7-9-7-6--------------6--7--9--6--6-6-6-6-6--6-6---
E----6--------(0)------6-----------------4-4\6---6--------6--6-6-6-6-6--6-6---
F#--(0)-----------------------------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B SECTION 02:27-02:44
C SECTION 02:45-03:03
Lee plays:
B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---7---7-8-10--10-10-3-----7--7-8-10-8-12-10-----7---7-8-10--10-10-3-----7--7-8-7---
F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---7---7-8-10--10-10-3-----7--7-8-10-8-12-10-----7---7-8-10--10-10-3-----7--7-8-7---
F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D SECTION 03:03-03:21
E SECTION 03:22-03:39
Lee plays similar harmonics:
B-----------------------------------------------*7*--------
E-----------------------*12*-------------------------------
F#---*12*-*12*----*12*----------*12*--------*7*------------
F#---*12*-*12*-------------------------*12*----------------
F#---*12*--------------------------------------------------
F#---*12*--------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------
F#---*12*-*12*---*12*--*7*-----*12*-*12*---*12*--*7*----
F#---*12*-*12*---------*7*-----*12*-*12*---------*7*----
F#---*12*----------------------*12*---------------------
F#-----------------------------*12*---------------------
F SECTION 03:40-03:57
G SECTION 03:58-05:22
Thurston repeats his previous shape, then simplies it as the song winds down
("look it's changing colors...")
B-------5-5-2--2-0------------------
E-------0-0-0--0-0--0--------------- repeat simile softly, w/ strings ringing throughout
F#--------------------0-0-0-0-0-0---
F#--------------------0-0-0-0-0-0---
F#----------------------------------
F#----------------------------------
Lee plays a similar riff as before, then starts playing a high lead when Kim starts
"look it's changing colours..". It almost sounds like there's two guitars there, but
it may just be his beautiful analog delay clouding things.
B----17-17--15-15--14--15-15--17-17----12\14--14-14----
E------------------------------------------------------
F#-----------------------------------------------------
F#-----------------------------------------------------
F#-----------------------------------------------------
F#-----------------------------------------------------
B----19-19--17-17--15-15--14-14--15-15---12\14--14-14---
E-------------------------------------------------------
F#------------------------------------------------------
F#------------------------------------------------------
F#------------------------------------------------------
F#------------------------------------------------------
B--------------15--------15-------10---15\--0-0-0-2---
E----12-12--14----12---------------9------------------
F#--------------------------17\-----------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------------
B----5\\\17---15-15-14---19-19-19----------------15-15---
E-----------------------------------7-9-10-12-10--------- yeah i'm pretty sure there's a guitar playing
F#------------------------------------------------------- softly around the open/2nd fret, and the one
F#------------------------------------------------------- playing up high...but i got you this far!
F#-------------------------------------------------------
F#-------------------------------------------------------
This is the end, over the last 2 reps of Kim's bass progression:
B----17-17--15-15--14--15-15--14-14--15--12-12--14-14---14-14----9-9---
E----------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------------------------------
text + tab by Chris Lawrence
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